Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

After breaking the arms of the opponent, Rain just punched the sides of the giant beastman once, and then his eyes turned white… his whole body trembled thanks to the attacks, and that only showed the weight of each of the punches…

The colossal beastman, bearing the unmistakable marks of this brutal encounter, slouched and collapsed against the arena wall, causing a thunderous impact as he hit the seats. His gargantuan cheeks were grotesquely swollen, a painful sign to the relentless assault he had endured. His arms hung limp, their coloration a foreboding shade of purple.

This clear scene vividly illustrated the overwhelming might that had prevailed, leaving the once-intimidating giant now vanquished and unconscious.

"They will probably need some time to move him out of the arena, so I can rest for a short bit," Rain thought and then walked toward his friends.

The arena was still in silence and in shock. At the same time, Rain joined Jori and Reca, but soon, people grew excited, and they began to talk excitedly when the beast king jumped to the place and began to stretch his body.

Before long, he approached the giant beastman and then began to pull him out of the arena while he was climbing it. It probably wasn't a good idea to make someone that wounded move like that, but there was no other option… besides, that was the best way for the beast king to show his strength.

"... He is insanely strong. That guy should weigh many times more than him," Reca said while showing a complicated expression.

"Do you think that you could have done the same, Rain?" Jori asked.

"Probably not. You sure know when to ask some depressing questions," Rain furrowed his eyebrows. "Maybe I could if I used all of my buffs."

That could be a problem… It seemed that the beast king didn't need buffs, and even if he didn't have them, he probably had some tricks up his sleeve. Before long, the beast king jumped to the other side of the wall while carrying the giant beastman. At least he was treating his comrade fairly well… if he were a B-rated villain, he probably would have killed or tossed the minotaur in the distance.

In any case, in the end, Rain's break only lasted for ten minutes, and soon the beast king arrived… there won't be any time to waste, so he will have to go all out from the very beginning. Still, he had enough time to fix his build and make it focused on melee fighting and to the way that he was planning to deal with the beast king.

Name: Rainendall

Level: 142 (6000/14.200)

Current Path: Champion's Path (Lv 25 (200/2500)

Health: 12.970/18.370

Mana: 27.430/33.130

Stamina: 18.365/19.715

Strength: 1682

Dexterity: 1487

Intelligence: 2675

Vitality: 1838

Wisdom: 3293

Endurance: 1881

Luck: 307

Free Points: 175

Main Skills:

[Power Strike Lv 12) Get new updates on m-vl_em|p_yr

[Basic Strikes and Kicks Lv 61]

[Iron Limbs Lv 35]

[Precise Strikes Lv 50]

[Counterflow Lv 21]

Support Skills:

[Iron Resilience Lv 31]

[Unyielding Endurance Lv 37]

[Language Lv 88]

[Second Wind Lv 30]

[Iron Defense Lv 33]

"I guess this is it, reinforced common attacks that are able to ignore endurance to some extent and decrease the opponent's stamina," Rain thought and then said to his friends. "We might have to leave in a hurry, so don't relax too much."

The group harbored concerns about the need for a swift departure following Rain's decisive victory over the beast king. There were several compelling reasons for this. It was clear that defeating the strongest warrior would not go unanswered. The kingdom's leaders were unlikely to tolerate such a public humiliation without seeking retribution.

The audience's growing dissatisfaction with Rain's consecutive victories over the beastmen warriors hinted at potential public unrest. To avoid getting entangled in a possible uprising, the group might need to make a quick exit.

Rain looked pretty calm, but Jori and Reca couldn't help but sweat a little… The aura that the beast king was emanating was no joke. It was stronger than if compared to the dragons they faced until now. Still, Rain was acting like it was just another day at work.

"I am truly impressed. I didn't expect that humans still are able to produce warriors of your caliber. For the first time in a while, I will be able to fight without holding back, and I will like it," The beast king said.

"Are you sure of that?" Rain asked. "I wouldn't be so sure considering the damage that will probably spread… at the same time, maybe it is fine if you are the type who keeps hugging trees instead of investigating what is happening outside."

"It doesn't matter. Such things as financial costs are useless to us. We don't care about money," The beast king declared. "That was something created by you humans to make people feel better about yourselves by taking more from nature than you actually need."

Rain couldn't help but furrow his brow as the beast king launched into an unexpected philosophical discussion. It was an unusual turn of events, but beneath the peculiar circumstances, there was a kernel of truth in the King's words.

In the early days of civilization, bartering was the norm. However, bartering had its limitations. Finding someone with precisely what you needed, who also wanted what you had, was often a cumbersome process. Money came into play as a universally accepted medium of exchange, making transactions smoother.

The money provided a consistent measure of value. It enabled people to assign worth to various goods and services using a common unit, making comparisons and trades more money enabled indirect transactions.

Individuals could sell their goods or services for money and then use that money to buy different goods or services from various sources. This indirect system reduced the need for a perfect match of wants, enhancing trade flexibility. There were also other reasons for that, the darker ones, and the beast king probably was thinking about them.